India witnessed a sharp spike in VPN app downloads following restrictions imposed on Telegram. New data suggests that a warning previously issued by Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov may have played out in real time. The figure marks the highest single-day VPN download count recorded in India since at least the beginning of 2025.
Durov has previously argued that attempts to restrict access to communication platforms often fail to achieve their intended objective because users tend to adopt workarounds such as VPNs and proxy services.
While commenting on internet restrictions in various markets over the years, the Telegram chief has discussed that technical barriers frequently result in increased use of privacy tools rather than a decline in demand for the affected platform.
Appfigures data shows VPN downloads on June 17 were 76% higher than the average recorded between June 9 and June 15. The figure was also 63% above the average seen during the June 1-15 period.
Downloads had already climbed to 645,000 on June 16 before reaching 919,000 the following day.
The restrictions on Telegram were imposed amid concerns related to exam-related fraud content circulating on the platform.
VPNs, or Virtual Private Networks, route internet traffic through servers located in different regions and help mask users' IP addresses. While widely used for privacy and security, demand often rises when access to websites or applications is disrupted.
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